Harrington, fresh off a visit to the White House earlier this week, started the second round on the 10th hole and made birdies at the 11th and 16th holes to go out at two-under par.  He then made birdies on the first, third and fifth holes to make a move to the top of the leaderboard.  After a bogey on the sixth hole, Harrington carded birdies on the seventh and ninth holes.

Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson and Carl Pettersson are tied for second place at seven-under par.  Steve Stricker, Jeff Maggert and Steve Elkington are tied for sixth place a shot behind them.  David Toms and Jonathan Byrd round out the top 10 at five-under par, three shots behind Harrington.

Moving Day

After a year working on a swing change, Harrington looks to be finding his form at the right time.  Can he keep the momentum heading into the weekend?

Within the top 10, Harrington has some stiff competition with Furyk, Goosen and Stricker all within two shots.  Brandt Snedeker and Rickie Fowler started the season off well but have yet to finish on top.  Both are tied for 11th place at four-under par and could make a serious move on Saturday to get into contention.  Adam Scott moved into the mix with a 66 in the second round but, can the Aussie show he’s for real this year?  The dark horse this week is Brian Gay at one-under par.

Willis was flawless after a bogey on the third hole.  A birdie on the fourth was followed by another on the eighth hole to finish the front nine at one-under par.  Willis started the back nine with three straight birdies, adding two more at the 14th and 16th holes.

Goosen, Furyk and Fowler are locked in with Jonathan Byrd, Jeff Maggert and Carl Pettersson for second place at four-under par.  J. B. Holmes, Jeff Quinney, Steve Elkington and Ross Fisher are tied for eighth place with rounds of 68, three-under par.

The following is Woods’ statement from his web site:

“The Masters is where I won my first major, and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta.

“The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it’s been awhile since I last played.

“I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy, and I am continuing my treatment. Although I’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.

“When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play. I called both Joe Lewis and Arnold Palmer and expressed my regrets for not attending the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. I again want to thank them both for their support and their understanding. Those are fantastic tournaments, and I look forward to competing in them again.

“I would also like to thank the Augusta National members and staff for their support. I have deep appreciation for everything that they do to create a wonderful event for the benefit of the game.”

The 40-year-old Els looked like his old “easy” self with a bogey-free 66 in the final round to top fellow South African, and house guest, Charl Schwartzel.  The pair were tied at the start of the final round and through 10 holes of the final round.  Els started his Sunday with birdies on three of his first four holes, adding another on the eighth.  Schwartzel had a birdie on the second hole and a bogey on the fifth hole before dropping three straight birdies from the sixth to eighth holes.  A birdie on the 10th hole brought Schwartzel even with Els with eight holes to play.

Schwartzel started to drop off the pace after a bogey on the 11th hole.  Over the final eight holes, Els made birdies on the 12th and 17th holes while Schwartzel bogeyed the 11th, 15th and 17th holes, with a birdie on the 12th.  Schwartzel finished with a final round 70 to Els’ 66.

Matt Kuchar continued his strong play with another top finish.  Kuchar shot 67 and 68 over the weekend to finish tied for third place with Padraig Harrington and Martin Kaymer.  Paul Casey has yet to finish outside the top 10 on the PGA TOUR in 2010, landing tied for sixth place with a final round 69.  Casey finished at 10-under par, eight shots behind Els, with Bill Haas, Graeme McDowell, Alvaro Quiros and Alistair Presnell.

Outside the top 10

Vijay Singh seems to be picking up his game just in time for Spring.  Singh finished at nine-under and tied for 11th place with Robert Allenby and John Senden.  Phil Mickelson tied for 14th with Francesco Molinari.  Camilo Villegas tied with Steve Stricker for 16th place at seven-under par for the week.

Anthony Kim tied for 22nd.  Lee Westwood finished tied for 30th with Hunter Mahan.  Ian Poulter used a final round 64 to move up to 37th place with Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Sergio Garcia.  Geoff Ogilvy finished tied for 45th place after a third round 75.

Wake up!

The PGA TOUR has had tremendous tournaments and people are paying attention.  Some terrific players have raised trophies so far this season.  In the last three weeks alone we saw Ian Poulter, Hunter Mahan and Camilo Villegas outplay the field for their first wins in more than a year.  Geoff Ogilvy got things started at the SBS Championship.  Then, a couple of surprise winners in Ryan Palmer, Bill Haas and Ben Crane.  Steve Stricker became the #2 ranked golfer in the world with a win at the Northern Trust Open and Dustin Johnson took over the FedEx Cup lead winning at Pebble Beach.

Tiger Woods is not the only story in golf.  Yes, he picked up the clubs last week.  But, that’s his job.  It was inevitable that Hank Haney was going to Florida to work with Woods.  Again, it’s his job.  Unlike many people, Woods has the wealth to take a few months or a year off from his job and probably not miss a beat.  Golf is what he does so, why are we surprised that he started going to the range when he returned home?

Do you think, maybe, with the PGA TOUR at another World Golf Championship event this week, that Woods called Haney in to create a stir?  Yes, Woods will return to golf at some time.  It always seemed if he were to come back, that the Masters was going to be the perfect stage.  Augusta National gives Woods comfort, plus, it is the world’s best field at the greatest venue.  It is the type of event Woods thrives on.

So, will he come back?  Only Woods knows.

For now, we have to embrace what the PGA TOUR is offering and that is great, competitive golf from the best players in the world.

The three veterans – Allenby, Singh and Els – are looking to land their first win of the season but Schwartzel bested them with a bogey-free round.  Schwartzel started on the 10th hole with a par and made birdies on the next two.  He started the second nine with birdies on the first, second and fourth holes before paring out.

Paul Casey leads a group of six players at three-under par.  Tied with Casey for fifth place are J. B. Holmes, Dustin Johnson, Francesco Molinari, Soren Hansen and John Senden.

Villegas’ final round 68 gave him a five shot win over Anthony Kim.  He started the day with a three shot edge but, Vijay Singh pushed early, trimming that lead to two shots with a 45-foot birdie on the fifth hole.  Villegas responded with three straight birdies from the eighth to 10th holes, extending his lead to six shots.  Even bogeys on the 11th, 12th and 15th holes could not slow down Villegas as he hammered home the win with that final birdie.

Kim rebounded from a third round 73 with 67 in the final round to move into sole possession of second place.  Justin Rose took third place with 64 in the final round, moving up 20 spots on the leaderboard.  Singh tied with Paul Casey for fourth place at six-under par, seven shots behind Villegas.  Fredrik Jacobson and Michael Connell tied for sixth place with Charlie Wi taking seventh.  Rounding out the top 10 were Lee Westwood, Brendon de Jonge and Chris Tidland, who tied for ninth place at two-under par.

Villegas started to pull away quickly with four birdies in the first nine holes.  The back nine was not as smooth as the Colombian made bogeys on the 10th, 12th and 14th holes with birdies at the 11th and 16th holes.  Another solid round on Sunday will have Villegas raising his first trophy of the year.

But, Singh and Green still have fighting chances.  Singh shot 69 to keep pace with Villegas, while Green carded a 67 to move into a tie with Singh.  George McNeill and Matt Every are five shots back at six-under par.  Anthony Kim, who shared the lead with Villegas at the start of the day, shot 73 to fall into a tie for eighth place.  Kim finished with three straight bogeys, totaling four on the day.  He also had a double-bogey on the sixth hole and three birdies.  Michael Connell is tied with Kim at five-under par.  J. B. Holmes was the big mover of the day, climbing 21 spots to tie for eighth place at four-under par.  He is in eighth place with Graeme McDowell.  Paul Casey is tied for 10th with Chris Tidland, Charlie Wi, Sam Saunders and Fredrik Jacobson.

Villegas started on the 10th hole and played the first nine one-under par after birdies on the 11th and 14th holes with a bogey on the 15th.  After pars on the first and second holes, Villegas dropped four straight birdies before carding a final bogey on the seventh hole.

Kim, also starting on the 10th hole, made three birdies in the first four holes.  After the turn, he made birdies on the third, fourth, seventh and eighth holes with a bogey on the sixth hole.

Vijay Singh is in third place at seven-under par, one shot behind Villegas and Kim.  Jerry Kelly is in fourth with Mike Weir, Graeme McDowell, Nathan Green, Chez Reavie and Matt Every a shot behind him in fifth place.  Alex Cejka and Michael Connell are tied for 10th place at four-under par.

Moving Day

It is great for the PGA TOUR to have Villegas and Kim atop the leaderboard.  Both are key figures in the PGA TOUR’s future.  But, will they stay there?

Singh will be tough to keep at bay as the veteran looks for his first title since winning the 2008 FedEx Cup.  Mike Weir and Paul Casey are both in the mix as well.  Casey is at three-under par, five shots back, heading into the weekend.  Four names to watch are at even-par – Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, J. B. Holmes and Bubba Watson.  Westwood and McIlroy were favorites coming into the week so it would be no surprise to see them climb the leaderboard on moving day.  But, Holmes and Watson have the power to take over the PGA National course as long as the short game comes together.  The dark horse this weekend could be Trevor Immelman.  After opening with 73, Immelman shot 68 in the second round and is one-over par.

Both Green and Connell were bogey-free in their opening rounds.  Green made five birdies while Connell dropped three birdies and carded an eagle on the par-5 third hole.  The pair lead Camilo Villegas, Oliver Wilson and Alexandre Rocha, who are tied at four-under par.  Villegas continues to play well for the third straight week.

Vijay Singh is back in contention with a first round 67.  The Great Fijian is tied for sixth place with Bubba Watson and D. J. Trahan.  Ten players are tied for ninth place at two-under par, including Anthony Kim and Jonathan Byrd.  Also in that group are Grame McDowell, Alex Cejka, George McNeill, Ted Purdy, Alex Prugh, Scott Piercy, Tom Gillis and Henrik Bjornstad.

It seems the buzz surrounds the European players this week.  The top – ranked – players in the field this week are Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington.  Others favored in the first Florida event of the PGA TOUR season are Robert Allenby, Sergio Garcia and Camillo Villegas.

So, where are the American’s?

The biggest buzz around an American golfer goes to Rickie Fowler.  The rookie finished second last week and seems to have found a groove after a couple of missed cuts in the first two months of the season.  Matt Kuchar has played well through seven events this year.  Kuchar has a third place finish (SBS Championship) and a second (Bob Hope Classic) – can he notch his first victory of 2010 this week?

Yes, no Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson.  But, the Honda Classic brings on thoughts of Spring and the Masters.  The Masters is still a few weeks away and the Honda Classic – at least with first time major winners – can provide some insight into who will top a major this year.  Last year, Yang’s win sparked a season that saw him topple Woods at the PGA Championship for his first major title.  In the past, Harrington claimed victory at the Honda Classic before stringing together three major titles.  And, Todd Hamilton took home the Honda and British Open championships in the same season.  Will this be Garcia’s time?  Or, Allenby?  What about a guy like Tim Clark – who is still looking for his first PGA TOUR win?

Mahan was a star of the Ryder Cup victory two years ago.  But, last season was a struggle as Mahan had only six top 10s in 25 events.  His best finish was runner-up at the AT&T National.  Mahan was also on the winning Presidents Cup team at the end of the 2009 season.  So far, 2010 has not been easy for Mahan with his best finish coming at the Farmers Insurance Open, a tie for 27th.  His victory last week – with 65s on the weekend – should give Mahan the fuel to be a force on the PGA TOUR this season.  And, with Tiger Woods out, the PGA TOUR needs more guys like Mahan to step into the leadership role.

Another rising star that had a coming out party in the desert was Rickie Fowler.  The highly touted rookie finished second to Mahan for his second top 5 finish of the season.  And though Fowler has three missed cuts, he very much could be the future of the PGA TOUR.  Fowler made a splash on TOUR in the Fall Series, where he almost earned full exempt status in only three events.  He earned his way on TOUR through qualifying school for the 2010 season.

With Woods out, the PGA TOUR needs to help guys like Mahan and Fowler shine.  The PGA TOUR needs them and Anthony Kim, Brandt Snedeker and Camilo Villegas to take the game into the future.  Villegas has only played twice in 2010 but he finished third at the Accenture Match Play Championship and tied for eighth at the Phoenix Open.  Snedeker has played well this year and probably would have earned his third top 10 had he not shot 78 in the final round last week.  Kim has played better each week this year, finishing 24th last week.

These are the guys the PGA needs to promote more so that they can become household names with fans as Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els are.  Woods is gone – for now – and Mickelson and Els are sliding down the back nine of their very respected careers.  For the TOUR to survive, it needs more of the Mahan’s, Kim’s and Villegas’ of the golfing world.

Villegas was one-over par through nine holes after a birdie on the second hole was erased by bogeys at the fourth and ninth holes.  A birdie on the 10th got Villegas back on track as he added an eagle on the 13th and a final birdie on the 15th hole.  He did finish with a bogey on the 18th hole.

Wilson bogeyed the first hole but finished the front even-par after a birdie on the third hole.  After a birdie on the 10th hole, Wilson finished with four straight birdies from the 15th to 18th holes.

Anthony Kim moved into a tie for third place at 10-under par after a second round 65.  He is tied with Ryan Moore and rookie Rickie Fowler.   Brandt Snedeker, Pat Perez, Tom Lehman, Mathew Goggin, Alvaro Quiros and Chris Couch are tied for sixth place at nine-under par, two shots behind the leaders.

Moving Day

Defending champion Kenny Perry has a lot of ground to make up in order to repeat.  He is tied for 54th at four-under par.  Phil Mickelson is in better position for a big move at six-under par.  He along with Geoff Ogilvy and Brian Gay may make big runs in the third round.  Closer to the top of the leaderboard, Ian Poulter shot 63 in the second round to move up 79 spots to 16th place.  Can he keep the hot hand into the weekend?  Also, Robert Allenby has found his way back into contention with a second round 65 and is tied for 12th place, three shots back.

Villegas kept some of the momentum from his third place finish at the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship.  He was bogey-free on the day and carded nine birdies, including one on the most famous par-3 in golf – TPC Scottsdale’s 16th.

Every, who started on the 10th hole, shot 63.  After birdies on the 13th and 15th holes, Every ran off six straight birdies from the 17th to the fourth hole.  He is two shots ahead of five players tied at six-under par, including Justin Rose and rookie Rickie Fowler.  Also at six-under are Mark Wilson, Ryuji Imada and Pat Perez.  Geoff Ogilvy is tied for eighth place with 10 other players, including Zach Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Ryan Moore.  Y. E. Yang, Mathew Goggin, Tom Lehman, Joe Durant, Kevin Stadler, Carl Pettersson and Sam Saunders are also at five-under par.

Defending champion Kenny Perry shot 68 in the first round and is tied for 29th place at three-under par.  With Perry are Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar to name a few.

Poulter had a two hole lead after the first nine holes thanks to wins on the seventh and eighth holes.  He would finish the first 18 with that same advantage as he and Casey both won three holes on the back nine.  To start the second 18, Poulter won the first two hole to gain a four hole lead.  Poulter answered Casey wins on the third and sixth holes with wins of his own on the fourth and seventh holes.  Casey finally caught a break with wins on the ninth and 10th holes but could not get another hole back.  Poulter put the match away with wins on the 15th and 16th holes.

Casey got into the final match after beating Camilo Villegas Sunday morning.  Their semifinal match was postponed due to darkness after five sudden death holes.  On the 24th hole of the match, Villegas hooked his tee shot and could not recover as Casey made par for the win.

Villegas went on to play Sergio Garcia in the 18-hole consolation match.  Villegas took the early lead with a par on the first hole, to Garcia’s double-bogey.  After five halves, Villegas won four of the next five holes and eventually won 5&4.

Poulter first defeated Thongchai Jaidee in the morning match after late birdies on the 15th and 17th hole gave Poulter a 1up victory.  Then, Poulter faced Sergio Garcia, who beat Owen Wilson in his morning match 4&3.  Garcia proved no match for Poulter as the Englishman took nine of the 12 holes played to win 7&6.

Casey and Villegas will continue their match Sunday morning after Villegas missed a short par putt to win on the 23rd hole of the match.  Villegas went up early with wins on the first and third hole.  Casey came back to take a 1up lead with three holes to play but, Villegas squared the math with a par on the final hole.  After four pars in extra holes, both players made bogey on the last hole before the match was called due to darkness.

In the morning matches, Casey defeated Stewart Cink 5&4.  Villegas played Retief Goosen, beating the veteran 4&3.

After three days of upsets eliminated much of the top seeds, Casey, a two seed in the Snead Division, stands as the highest seed remaining in the tournament.  He will face a tough match play opponent in Cink, who has finished second and third in this event the last two years.  Casey cruised to a 5&4 win over Brian Gay, who was playing in the Match Play Championship for the first time.  Cink defeated Charl Schwartzel with a birdie on the 19th hole.

The next highest ranked player in the field is Ian Poulter.  The third ranked player in the Jones Division defeated Jeev Milkha Singh 5&4.  Poulter will face off against Thongchai Jaidee, who beat Ryo Ishikawa by the same 5&4 margin. The winner of the Poulter-Jaidee match will face the winner of Garcia versus Owen Wilson.  Garcia beat Tim Clark 2&1 to get into the weekend.  Wilson, the 10th seed, finished off Luke Donald in 20 holes for his third upset of the week.  Wilson has beat #7 Miguel Angel Jimenez and #2 Rory McIlory to get to the Elight Eight.

One of the more interesting matches on Saturday will be veteran Retief Goosen against Camilo Villegas.  Goosen, the #5 seed, defeated Nick Watney 1up, while Villegas beat Ben Crane 3&2.  The winner of this match will play the winner of the Casey-Cink match.

The Tiger Woods Apology

In other news, Tiger Woods made his first statement about the events that transpired after his November car crash.  His apology was uncomfortable to watch but seemed very sincere.  It is not easy seeing an icon in that type of situation.  Truth of the matter is that Woods is not coming back to golf in the near future so, players, fans and the media have to move on and start celebrating what is on the course…the current stars and young players that will carry the PGA TOUR and game of golf into the future.  For more on Woods, visit the following:

• The Golf Girl: When Tiger Talks – The Long-Awaited Apology
• Armchair Golf Blog: Tiger Woods: “I Have Let You Down” (video)
• Wei Under Par

Top seed Lee Westwood was beat by Nick Watney 2&1 in the second round.  After Westwood pulled even after holing a bunker shot on the 13th hole for eagle but, Watney rebounded with birdies on the 14th and 15th holes.  Martin Kaymer lost to Tim Clark 3&2…maybe it is his new yellow Srixon ball?  Clark moves on to face Garcia in what will be the third round match to see.  Jim Furyk lost to Charl Schwartzel, who made consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to win the match 3&2.

Tiger Woods will steal some headlines with his statement Friday but, the third round matches have their appeal, adding a little bit of everything – the favored veterans, future stars and the unknown.  It is what makes match play so interesting – a hole-by-hole match where anything can happen.  So, even without Woods in the field, the Accenture Match Play Championship will bring intrigue into the weekend.

Player Bracket

Watney moves on to play Retief Goosen, who beat Ernie Els in 20 holes.  Ben Crane, who had a free round yesterday when Henrik Stenson conceded on the first hole, beat Y. E. Yang 3&2.  Crane will play Camilo Villegas, who defeated defending champion Ogilvy 2&1.

Jones Bracket

Ryo Ishikawa beat Ross McGowan 1up.  Ishikawa will face Thongchai Jaidee, who proved too much for Robert Karlsson.  Jaidee made birdied five of seven holes from the sixth to 12th holes to take a six-up lead that could not be overcome.  Jeev Milkha Singh moves on to play Poulter.  Singh beat Matt Kuchar 1up, while Poulter beat Adam Scott 2&1.

Hogan Bracket

With Clark and Garcia highlighting this bracket, Owen Wilson and Luke Donald will play on the other side.  Wilson beat Rory McIlory in 20 holes, whild Donald handled Robert Allenby 6&5 in the second round.

Snead Bracket

With Furyk out, Schwartzel will face Cink in the next round.  Cink beat fellow American Sean O’Hair 1up in the second round.  Casey, who beat Mike Weir 5&4, will face Brian Gay.  Gay, the 14th seed, beat Zach Johnson 2up.

Steve Stricker, the number two ranked golfer in the world, was defeated in 19 holes by Ross McGowan, the lowest seeded player in the field.  Padraig Harrington was the other top seed to lose in the first round.  Jeev Milkha Singh beat the Irishman with a birdie on the 17th hole to go up 3 holes with one to play.  Henrik Stenson had to concede his match to Ben Crane after one hole due to flu-like symptoms.

Anthony Kim joined the upset parade losing to number 10 seed Matt Kuchar.  Kuchar never trailed in the match and moved on to the second round with a birdie on the 16th hole.  Adam Scott seemed to be back in old form as the Austrailian upset reigning Masters champion Angel Cabrera 3&2.  U. S. Open champion Lucas Glover didn’t fare too well either as he was ousted by 11 seed Anders Hansen.  Number three seed Kenny Perry continued his string of first round exits as he lost to Brian Gay 2&1.

Ian Poulter escaped from Justin Leonard with a birdie on the 19th hole.  Other notables moving onto the next round include Robert Allenby, Luke Donald,  Ernie Els and Stewart Cink.

The match play format is an interesting one and should be played a few more times throughout the season.  It adds a twist to the normal stroke play in that everyone has a chance.  The first rounds are 18-hole matches with the player winning the most holes moving on to the next round.  The final match is 36 holes.

Ogilvy has won this event twice and is a tough match play competitor.  Stewart Cink is another player to watch this week.  Cink, the reigning British Open champion, has played well in this event with finishes  of second and third in the last two years.  Paul Casey lost in last year’s final to Ogilvy and should be a lock for the final brackets as the week rolls on.

Final Four Bracket Predictions

Jones Division – Ian Poulter defeating Ryo Ishikawa

Hogan Division – Robert Allenby defeating Sergio Garcia

Player Division – Geoff Ogilvy defeating Lee Westwood

Snead Division – Stewart Cink defeating Zach Johnson

Who to follow

Sergio Garcia is this week’s dark horse as the Spaniard is coming off an injury to his right hand suffered in November at the Dubai World Championship.  But, Garcia played last week at Pebble Beach, finishing 52nd after a final round 77.

This year’s Match Play Championship will feature 23 players under the age of 30, the most ever for this event.  Led by rising stars Rory McIlroy and Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa, the future of golf is here.  McIlroy played well in last year’s tournament, losing to Ogilvy in the quarterfinals.  Also, Italy’s Molinari brothers are in the field this week.  The pair teamed up to win the Omega Mission Hills World Cup and both play on the European Tour.  The Molinari’s are in the same bracket and could face each other if they win their first three matches.

It would be nice to see some of the young American stars to make a run this year and show some of the fight they show during the Ryder Cup and President Cup matches.  Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan are the two that stand out.  Both were integral in the Ryder Cup victory two years ago and struggled last season.  The PGA TOUR would get a boost if both these players regained their prominence as rising stars.

Notable missing players this year are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.  Woods is still on indefinite leave from golf and Mickelson opted to stay home with his wife, following last year’s cancer diagnosis.

Johnson was trailing Paul Goydos with five holes to play.  Goydos, who shared the lead at the start of the round, took the top spot after a birdie on the 13th hole.  But, Goydos found trouble on the next hole, carding a 9 at the par-5, 14th, to fall out of contention.  Johnson, after a bogey on the 12th, made another bogey on the 17th hole to fall into a tie with Duval and Holmes.  Johnson’s second shot to the final green found a bunker and a nice out led to a 3-foot birdie for the win.

Duval put himself in position with a final round69, coming very close to his first win in nine years.  He made six birdies to three bogeys on Sunday.  Holmes continues his solid play with a final round 71, finishing with three birdies and two pars.   It is his second straight week near the top of the leaderboard, following a tie for third place at last week’s Northern Trust Open.

Steve Marino finished in fourth placea t 13-under par, three shots behind Johnson.  Goydos fell into a tie for fifth place with J. P. Hayes and Josh Teater.  Phil Mickelson logged his first top 10 finish of the season tying for eighth place with Tom Gillis at 11-under par.  Six players tied for 10th place at 10-under, including Tim Clark.  With Clark were D. J. Trahan, Matt Jones, Alex Cejka, Bryce Molder and Blake Adams.

Johnson, who played Spyglass Hill Golf Club in the third round, got off to a fast start with an eagle on the first hole.  He added birdies on the third, fourth, sixth and seventh holes.  After a bogey on the 10th hole, Johnson made another eagle on the 11th hole.  He made two more birdies on the day at the 14th and 17th holes but closed out the round with a bogey at the 18th hole.

Goydos was bogey-free in his third round at Pebble Beach.  He made an eagle on the second hole and carded six birdies, three on each side, to keep pace with Johnson.

All players will play the Pebble Beach course in the final round.

J. B. Holmes, Bryce Molder and Matt Jones are tied for third place at 14-under par, four shots behind Johnson and Goydos.  Alex Cejka is in sixth place with David Duval, J. P. Hayes and Steve Marino tied for seventh.  K. J. Choi, D. J. Trahan and Tom Pernice, Jr. are tied for 10th place at 11-under par.

The six leaders are one shot better than David Duval, who shot 68 in the second round for sole posession of seventh place.  Padraig Harrington is tied for eighth place with D. J. Trahan and Alex Prugh at eight-under par.

Moving Day

With 41 players within five shots of the lead, the third round – moving day – should be exciting.  It seems wide open for anyone to make a move.  From the back, Nick Watney and Jim Furyk have some work to do at five-under par.  Tim Clark may be the dark horse at six-under par.  The South African is still in search of his first PGA TOUR win and with a second round 68 could put himself in position tomorrow to make a run on Sunday.

Vijay Singh slid back 15 spots after a second round 71 but is still dangerous.  Phil Mickelson shot 67 in the second round to move up 31 spots into a tie for 11th place, three shots off the lead.  Tied with Mickelson are Steve Marino and Luke Donald, who both are players that can pull out a victory here.  And, it would be nice to see Harrington raise a trophy this week after a tough rebuilding year last season. The sentimental choice is Duval, as many would like to see the former champion back in the winner’s circle.

Who will break the tie?

Dustin Johnson seems very comfortable in his title defense and may be tough to beat.  J. B. Holmes is playing well in 2010 and may steal the trophy from Johnson.

Johnson, who is the defending champion, had made five birdies and two bogeys through the first 11 holes of play.  After pars on the 12th and 13th holes, he caught fire with birdies on the 14th through 18th holes.  Holmes continued his strong play with a seven-under par, 65, and is tied with Choi.

Charley Hoffman is in fourth place with a group of 12 players on shot behind him, including Vijay Singh, Mike Weir and David Duval. Phil Mickelson had an average day, shooting 68 with three birdies and a bogey.  He is tied for 42nd place at two-under par, six shots behind Johnson.

Groove Update

Here is an article from PGATOUR.com talking about a meeting between the USGA and PING.  They are trying to eliminate the controversy of the new groove rule on the PGA TOUR.  Stemming from a 1990 legal settlement, the PING Eye-2 irons are approved for play despite the new PGA rule eliminating square grooved clubs. The article states that TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem told players last week that the TOUR did not realize clubs from 20 years ago would become an issue.

Finchem said the Ping Eye2 wedge produces spin at about 60 percent of the rate from last year’s wedges, but about 10 percent more than wedges approved for competition this year.

All this controversy comes for a 10% increase in spin.  That’s it…from a wedge made 20 years ago.  There are alternative ways to reduce spin without changing the clubs.  Rory McIlroy said a few weeks ago:

“I don’t see why they don’t firm greens up and get the rough longer to bring scores down.  They can make golf courses a lot tougher and turn 20-under winning scores into 12 under.”

Simply, there are other ways to combat technology without making it near impossible for the average golfer to play every week on a 7,000 yard course.  Jack Nicklaus has spoke of deadening the ball to bring back distances.  Nicklaus also experimented at his event – The Memorial – with ridges in the sand, where he cut every other spoke off the rake to eliminate a completely smooth lie in a hazard.

Mickelson is coming off a disappointing finish at last week’s Northern Trust Open, one that saw him fall back a spot in the world rankings.  Jim Furyk and Padraig Harrington are the two other top 10 ranked golfers in the field this week.  Other notable players inside the ropes this week are Ryan Palmer, Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker, who all look to continue their solid starts in the 2010 season.  Also, rookies Rickie Fowler and Ryo Ishikawa look to notch their first PGA TOUR wins.  Notable players to watch this week are Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Retief Goosen, Steve Marino, Sean O’Hair and Adam Scott, who missed the cut last week in his season debut.  Also in the field is John Daly, who made noise a couple of weeks ago hinting at retirement.

What about the wedges?

The news heading into last week was about the PING Eye-2 wedges that some players – notably Phil Mickelson – played.  To recap, the wedges are exempt to the new rule against square grooves in clubs.  The rule really came to light when Mickelson played the PING’s at the Farmers Insurance Open, sparking criticism from Scott McCarron who claimed it went against the spirit of the rule.  Previously, John Daly and Dean Wilson used the clubs at the Sony Open.

The question this week : will Mickelson put the PING wedge in the bag this week?

Interest has seemed to spark from this and rumored new that Tiger Woods will return for the Accenture Match Play Championship was shot down by Woods’ caddie Steve Williams.  I personally didn’t believe that Woods would come back before the Masters, if at all, especially to a tournament with a sponsor that dropped him amid the scandal.